Coyote Advice Sought

[Chicken Frenzie]

SAME WITH ME! Its okay if their free-range, just make sure they get in about 6:00 PM If your worried they'll go into the woods, ours do, but they han't been lately. Cyoties, we have two dogs. I've heard human soap (Not like regular soap.. I think body soap) They don't liek because it smells like humans. Be careful... they got one of our chickens because it got lost in our woods, usually just clap loudly twuce and their gone,

HOPE I HELPED!

 

[Stevo]

I dont like fences. I dont like posted signs. And I have a creek and woods myself. The bird in the wire cage works. And the yotes cant get them. And it is true as puerdelite stated they will take cats and dogs. Along with fawns and turkey polts. Grown turkeys are too smart for them. Coyotes are alot like squirrels. You can kill everyone of them but more will just move in. You are better off having the ones that fear the farm living there and kill the ones that dont. I dont like killing anything I do not use. But the chickens rely on us to protect them. It is part of our job. If you use the cage method it will be a nice close shot. I would recommend a 12ga. shotgun with "Dead Coyote" shells. They are a little pricey and you can order them from Cabelas online. But you wont have to buy many. A full choke and you are all set. Be around 30-40 yds from the cage and aim for the front shoulder. If it runs back into the woods thats fine it will die there. I never dispose of the carcass. I leave it there for the others to see lol. Morbid? Maybe, but like I said it has worked for me so far. If you have a local hunting forum you can find online you can post up a "Trapper Wanted" thread. You will get instant responses. These guys really know there stuff and will thin them out also.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Steve

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

A freind has supplied me with a 12 ga and a box of #8 shot. Because of my operation which cut my stomach muscles I cannot shoot this gun at this time. My husband refuses because we are still waiting on the FOID cards and belives it's illegal to shot without one even in these circumstances. MY PLAN: My 76 year old father - who has a valid FOID card, will sit with me and we will play backgammon in the window 30' walking distance from the shot point. I will call my local police and ask if my husband is right. He's a lot sturdier than Dad. Comments?

 

[shesaredroan]

Quote:
I posted earlier on this thread (post 24). Just checking in to see what's been happening.

In my case my prys didn't come from breeders, my dogs have no papers. They came from a working goat farm. The Campbells raise goats and have prys to protect their goats. They don't breed until they need more puppies to protect their place and sell a few to folks who also need protection for their stock. I was able to get 2 puppies (one 10 week old) and later ( an 8 week old), paid $50 each. You don't have to pay big bucks for good dogs, just find good people who have LGD as working dogs.

My 4 year old border collie got along fine with the new puppies and helped raise them. As the pups grew, the border collie learned from them.........the 2 breeds have different natural talents.
I stayed away from folks who raise LGDs to sell them for $$ or for show ($250, $350, $450 and up)........ a small working family farm gave me what I was looking for ($50, full blood, no papers, but had the know how to do their job).

I've talked with people who believe you have to isolate your LGDs so they will be effective, that is what those people do, that's how they believe.
I've talked with just as many people who don't handle their LGDs in that manner. At my house my dogs ask to come in the house to visit, take a nap, get a snack.........then they ask to go out and patrol, nap and take care of my 10 acres. They usually hang out together, but at times they go different directions to check out different parts of the property, then they meet back up and take another nap.
I have fences for my horses, my dogs can find weak places or dig under, but they stay close and look after the home they love.
I love my dogs, they love me.......because I love my cats, chickens and horses, my LGDs see them as family members too. LGDs will look after anything, as long as they see it as a family member.

I have one pistol and 3 dogs. I'm glad I have both!! My dogs make me feel safer than my pistol does.....plus my pistol doesn't wag it's tail or smile at me when I come home.

ParadiseFoundFarm, you will figure out how to handle your situation, one way or another, or a combination. Sitting with your Dad, watching for coyotes, sounds like a pretty good way to spend some quiet time together....family time.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Dear shesaredroan:
Thank you very much for your input. Before I read your post I had given up on LPDs. I will re=open our investigations on that matter.
Dad says he can't come over for a few days and he's not a morning person which is when they are out and about our farm for the most part. But yes, I am looking forward to spending time with him and NOT watching NGC or DISC on TV.
Dad says he should have no trouble shooting ( I'll just make sure it's one of our culls that's the bait )haha It's been about 10 years since he hunted with a shotgun.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

BTW Haven't seen a coyote in few days but the chickens don't want to come out of their safe zone coop for more than a few minutes. Think they're scared or just cold?

 

[Omniskies]

After years of feeding our coyotes and tackling the problem using a gun we realized that it just wasn't going to work. It may work short term, but it just doesn't seem like it's genuinely effective.

Here's the reason:

When you kill a coyote - a predator - then everything that coyote would have eaten (the mice, squirrels, rabbits...your chickens

- will increase in numbers. This swelling will draw in more predators: raccoons, opossums, foxes, hawks, and, well, more coyotes.

New coyotes don't see unclaimed territory and think "Danger!" They look at it and think "Score!" and move in. It may take them a few months to get rid of the bounty that has grown, but eventually they will turn to other types of food. Usually those other types of food end up being your animals.

I finally broke down and got a livestock guard dog. Not a dog - not a guard dog - but a genuine livestock guard breed. We now have a Great Pyrenees and three known coyote packs in our area. Our problems with raccoons, opossums, and coyotes vanished. Admittedly, the LGD isn't a _perfect_ solution; she barks all night to remind everyone that she won't tolerate trespassing and she wanders the neighborhood because dogs set different property lines than we do - but as she has gotten older (she's a puppy still) she has done less roaming.

However, I can keep my birds out at night without an issue. If I forget to pen them up and rush out there at midnight to shut the door, I don't have to disturb a feeding fox's dinner because he got to the pen before I did.

I really have to emphasize that a LGD is a better solution than a dog. some dogs are fantastic at guarding against coyotes and other predators. Other dogs never see a coyote coming, or bark and stare, or get tricked regularly. Coyotes will lure dogs away to sneak in behind them and eat a meal. Or they will let the dog chase them until it is worn out and go back to feed or, even worse, turn on the dog and kill it.

We have had this dog for a year and the feed and time we have had to put into her is more than worth the peace. Now the coyotes can keep their own numbers down based on how much prey is available out in the fields. And when I see a coyote, I can finally do what I did before I started keeping birds: be excited and want to take pictures or watch him. Not freak out and rush to get the gun.

I know the solution isn't for everyone, and I have heard horror stories of LGDs going after birds. But ours has been fantastic and if you are in a position where you can get one, I highly recommend going that route.

 

[Chick Charm]

You need to make sure that you and the hens are safe. Action is required on your part. Coyotes are not your or your chickens friends. Ask a friend to lend you some lead. Or better yet go and get a gun yourself. If you are not comfortable with guns you are in for missing birds and maybe even a dead dog if you are not careful. Don't live in fear of the predator, just take care of them before you have a disturbed coop.

 

[Kekko]

Well there are those that will laugh at me but I will give you my concoction for keeping the birds from becoming fox/coyote dinner.

First I will say that I trapped for years some twenty years ago and still do on occasion when need be. I have hunted coyotes and fox both calling them and stocking them. I have and will shoot any coyotes and fox that I get the chance to. I use a 22-250 or .223 for any long range shooting and a 12 ga. With # 2 or 4 shot for anything up close and personal. Where we live now has very limited shooting lanes that I feel safe when shooting the rifle so I depend more on the shot gun. Anyone that is not familiar with guns better learn a lot before you start shooting. A shot gun even a .410 can do damage up to and past 100 YARD not feet so you better know where your shooting and beyond. However for close quarters I strongly suggest the shot gun. It’s louder and even if you don’t kill the animal a few shot in its butt will make a big impression on it. Just the sound and thinking its getting shot at will help detour it from returning for a while.

Now my issue and solution! The fox and Coyotes are starting to get braver since the cold weather is coming and the fact that I have not been able to shoot at them as much due to neighbors with animals and building. I could lure them in and trap them but again don’t want to catch the neighbor’s cats and dogs (or ours). Besides lures and bait will draw more predators into the area that I want to keep them away from. The same goes for calling them in to shoot.

Solution that has seam to work for me. We have a 5’ weld wire fence around the property with a hot wire around the top of it. That’s to keep the live stock in, not the predators out. Although Fox & coyotes can sense the electricity in the fence and it does help to a very small degree. So what I have done is made several scent bottles (milk jugs) with holes punched around the top. Inside I shove some old rags (saw dust or shavings could be used). I then mix a concoction or diesel, ammonia, and used motor oil. Pour enough of this into the jug to soak up the rags or saw dust and put the lid on. I set these along the bottom of the fence where I feel it is vulnerable to being breached by the fox/coyote and tie them off to the fence. About every 30’ along the fence should work. I’m sure this is not an absolute fool proof solution but it will work for a while. The fox/coyote will avoid that area as long as it has the strong smell of ammonia. The diesel also has a strong smell that will add to the ammonia and the used motor oil will help hold the smell so it lasts longer.

We live Idaho in the country and have Turkeys, Chickens, Geese and ducks.

 

[drdoolittle]

I feel the same as a lot of others----you need to shoot at least one of them. A friend told me that if you shoot one, the rest will stay away fro a very long time. I don't like killing animals, but you have a good reason to. Or, I have heard of tapes you can play that have recorded Cougar calls that will supposedly keep coyotes away.